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“I don’t know if I can,” he murmurs as he snakes his arms around my waist, pulling me closer. “I’ve never been this scared in my entire life, Mirabella. I’m so afraid I’ll hurt you.”
“You won’t.” A tear laps down my cheek. “You will never hurt me, Nicoli.”
“I don’t want you to be afraid of me.”
“The only thing I’m afraid of is losing you. Losing us.”
“You’ll never lose me, Hummingbird.”
“Swear it.”
His lips find mine, his kiss tender and light yet filled with the heaviness of a moment that has us both vulnerable in the same way. “I swear.”
ChapterTwo
MIRA
“Oh, my God.”
Leandra’s reaction is exactly as I expected.
“Just,” she narrows her eyes, “tell me again.”
I walk over to the dining room window, sliding it open with a gentle tug. The sun is high, the spring heat seeping through my pores. The garden is alive with colors, bright yellows and pinks splashed across the lush greens that are expertly painted across the yard. I’ve always loved this season most, and the scent of freshly mowed grass, pine, and the rich, earthy smell carried by the breeze reminds me of when I was a little girl and how I would run through the garden while Nicoli chased me, laughing and so damn happy. I remember the day I gave him my ribbon, tied it around his finger, and promised to marry him if he couldn’t find a wife by the time I turned twenty-two. And somehow, the universe twisted our fates so that promise could be kept.
A light wind suddenly sweeps through the open window, ruffling my hair and lightly grazing my cheeks.
I turn to face Leandra, rubbing my palms together. “My oldest brother was a sick, perverted human being, and when my parents found out about how he chose to show his love for his baby sister, they wanted to send him away.” I scoff. “But he had them killed by the Ferreros before they had the chance,” I whisper in a cracked voice.
“And years later, you found him tied to a chair in the mausoleum?”
“Yeah. That’s after I thought he had been murdered, too.”
“Jesus. This is insane,” she breathes out, widening her eyes as she tries to wrap her head around everything I’m telling her.
“It’s weird that after years of not remembering, I now suddenly remember everything clearly.” I stare out to the side but focus on nothing. “I remember his voice. He tried so hard to sound mournful, yet there was a bitterness in his tone that left this foul taste in my mouth.”
“He admitted to being behind the murders?”
“Eventually.” I shrug. “And when he did, I lost it. This red fog blinded me, and I remember being unable to control it. It was like this…this poison just pumped through my veins, and I couldn’t stop it.”
Leandra leans her head to the side as she stares at me. “You freaked out.”
“Yeah.” I scoff. “I freaked out and then…killed him.” My eyes meet hers, and I half-expect her to look at me in horror, but she doesn’t.
“And you lost your memory after that?”
“Yeah. I guess I hit my head too hard when I fell after trying to attack Nicoli.”
“And he never told you the truth about what happened that night?”
I shake my head, then cross my arms. “And now, in hindsight, I wonder why I never found it suspicious that no one ever wanted to talk about Marco. Not even Maximo.”
“My only guess is they were trying to protect you.”
“Oh, I know they were. I don’t blame them. I probably would have done the same thing if this happened to someone I cared about.”
Leandra shifts from one leg to another, the champagne-colored pencil skirt hugging her curves. “And now you remember everything.”
